Indoor latch and lock



S p 1946. H. E. FROS T INDOOR LATCH AND LUCK FiledDec. 11, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 17' QLL 14, N 223 Inuemor HoraceEFvosT Sept. 17, 1946 H.E. FROST INDOOR LATCH AND LOCK Filed Dec. 11, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \nuemor Horaceggosf \"fornzg Patented Sept. 17, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to a latch structure especially adapted for use on inside doors and to which there may be readily applied a simple locking device which may be set at one side of the door and also released from the same side of the door, such type of latch and lock associated therewith being usable in conjunction with bathroom doors. Further, with .my invention a means is provided for an emergency unlocking of the latch, for example on a bathroom door from the outside, which emergency operation will require the use of a screwdriver or like implement.

A primary purpose of the invention is to provide a latch construction both with and without the inside look therefor which is economical to produce and install, which is simple in structure and operation and in which parts entering into the assembled structure are duplicated at both sides of the door, this enhancing economy of manufacture.

The invention, its operation and results may be understood from the .following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a horizontal section through the latch at the edge of a door at which the latch of my invention is installed, showing the installation of the parts on the door.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section between opposite front and rear sides of the door, showing the latch in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section substantially on the .plane of line 3-3 of Fig. .1 looking toward the free edge of the door.

Fig. '4 is an inside view ofthe latch structure escutc'heon housing, between which and an inside ;plate the major portion "of the latch mechanism is located, one of such structures being located at each side of a door.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with themside plate removed.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 with other parts removed and illustrating the escutcheo'n and knob assembly unit.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of such escutcheon housing and knob assembly unit.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the inside plate cooperating with the escutcheon and upon which operative parts of the latch mechanisms is mounted, and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the latch bolt.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the difierent figures of the drawings.

The door I upon which the latch and lock of my invention is installed may be of any conven- 2 tional construction. In installing the latch, a cylindrical opening 2 is bored inwardly at the free vertical edge of thedoor and transverse openings 3 through the door and across the opening 2 toward the inner end thereof. The latch bolt assembly comprises a cylindrical casing 4, of an exterior'diameter such that 'it is received within the opening 2, said casing at its open outer end :having an outwardly extending annularfiange 4a which when installed, as shown in Fig. 2 is covered by a rectangular plate 5 of metal inset at the edge of the door, and having an opening for the passage of the projecting end of the latch bolt. The casing 4 carries within it a coiled spring 6 which seats at its inner end against the bottom of the casing and at its outer end 'comes against the inner end of a bolt head I of conventional shape and form having an inclined strike engaging side. The bolt is completed by an elongated rod or stem 8 which passes through the spring 6 and through an opening in the bottom of the casing 4, and extends into the cylindrical opening 2 so as to lie partly across the transverse opening 3 when the bolt is in outer position and wholly across when the bolt is retracted. It is evident that normally, when free to do so, the "spring 6 moves the latch bolt to its outer projected position as shownin Figs. 1 and 2. Said bolt adjacent its inner end has an axial opening of passages 9 therethrough as shown.

At each side of the door in the installing, an es'cutcheon housing to pressed from sheet metal and preferably of a circular outline is used, having an inwardly extending annular flange II at its edges, and at .its central portion being pressed outwardly to provide a central raised section l2. A door knob I3 is associated with the escutcheon, said knob at its inner end riding against the outer face of the raised portion l2 and having 'at'its inner end a centrally disposed pin M which passes through a central opening in the part 12 and has riveted or otherwise permanently secured at its inner end a fiat member [5, substantially of bell crank form, the outer end portions of each arm of which carry each a short pin i=6 extending inwardly. It is evident that the knob l3, the escutcheon housing, the bell crank member 15 and pins I 6 may be assembled together and provide a unit of the structure as shown in Fig. 7.

The escutcheon housing at its inner side and within the flange II is closed by a substantially flat plate [1. The plate I! has a horizontal slot I 8 therein closed at both ends and extending across the center of the plate and located across the adjacent end of the transverse opening 3 through the door. At the outer side of the plate I I a member I9 stamped from flat metal is located, which has two oppositely disposed arms extending from its middle portion transversely of the slot I8 and two oppositely disposed longitudinal portions 2I and 22 which are located. generally at right angles to the arms 20. The part 2| is guided through a rectangular opening in a tongue 23 struck from the plate I1 and turned at right angles thereto as shown in Figs. 3 and 8, serving as a guide for the movements of the member l9.

An operating rod 24 is riveted to the member I9 adjacent its central portion and extends through the slot I 8 of the plate I'Lbeing enlarged between its ends as shown at 25 thus securing and holding the parts together but permitting a freedom of movement of the member I9 and said rod 212 in the direction of the length of the slot 18. There are two of the described structures used, one at each side of the door and the rods 24 extend inwardly through the transverse opening 3 at each end thereof being received at their free inner ends in the transverse axial opening 9 made through the bolt 8,

With the construction as described one at each side of the door and the assembled knob housing escutcheon plate It and inner plate I'I secured to the door by means of screws or other equivalent fastenings (Fig. 3), it is evident that on turning a knob I3 at either side of the door in either direction the associated member I9 will be moved longitudinally by reason of a pin IE on a bell crank I5 engaging against the outer edge of an arm 2!! of member I9 as shown in Fig. 5, thereby moving the rod 24 inwardly and causing the latch bolt to :be retracted against the spring 5. The knob at either side of the door may be turned in either direction and such operations will follow because of the twopins I6 engaging one against each of the two arms 20.

There may be associated with. the latch structure as described a simple manually operable looking means. As shown in Fig. 8 the inside closure plate I! of one of the assemblies has a rod 26 diametrically slotted at 21 at its free end. Said rod ispassed through the plate I'I adjacent an edge thereof and carries a bell crank having two arms 28 and 2%, the former of which may be moved between the positions indicated in Fig. 4 and that shown in Fig. 5 in the former of which the adjacent member I9 is free to move while in the latter, as shown in Fig. 5, the end of the arm 28 has been brought into the path of movement of one of the arms 2!! locking the associated member I9 and other parts in connection therewith against movement. The arm 29 extends through an opening as shown at 30 made in the flange I I so that the bell crank lock is readily operated to either position by manual manipulation, said arm 29 being freely accessible for such purpose.

In practice for example with a bathroom door, it will be the inner assembly which is provided with the rod 26 and the bell crank lock and op erating means therefor, the rod 26 extending through the door and its slotted end 2! through the outside plate I! and substantially flush and through an opening in the escutcheon plate III at the outer side of the door, with its slotted end substantially flush with said escutcheon housing Ii This exposes the slot at 21 so that in an emergency the slot may be engaged by a small screwdriver to turn the rod 26 and change the 4 bell crank arm 28 from its locked position as in Fig. 5 to its released position as in Fig. 4.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 8 in addition to the removal of a part of the flange I I of the escutcheon plate II] at 39, a notch 3| is cut in the flange at another predetermined point and the plate I'I provided with a projection 32 to fit into said notch, this for the purpose of controlling the location of the plate I1 and slot I8 and. the member 59 at the outer side of the plate with reference tothe operating bell crank I5.

The latch construction described is simple and economical to produce. Outside of the latch bolt and rods 24 and 26 substantially all metallic parts are stamped from sheet metal. The duplication 'of the mechanism at the inner and outer sides of the doors results in economy of manufacture. When completed the plate I I is permanently joined to the escutcheon I0 so that each knob assembly is handled and installed as a single unit. The latch bolt and its spring projection are simple and economical in structure. The latch may be installed on doors Where an inside locking'thereof is not desirable, eliminating the rod 26 and its bell crank operating arms 28 and 29, while the application of the locking means is simple and easy and the locking means itself is of a simple economical structure.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A latch construction including a housing adapted to be inserted in an opening made inwardly at the vertical edge of the door, a coiled spring within said housing, a latch bolt having a head normally projecting beyond the open end of the housing and a stern connected to said head passing through said spring and the bottom of the housing, said stem at its inner end portion having a transverse opening therethrough, an operating pin having a free end por-,

tion extending partly into said opening'at each side of the latch bolt stem, means for mounting each of said pins for a longitudinal movement paralleling the axis of said bolt stem, said movement being in a direction to retract the bolt head and compress said spring, and manually rockable means connected with each of said pins for moving the same to retract the latch bolt on rocking either of said means in either direction of rocking movement.

2. A latch comprising, a spring actuated bolt, said bolt having a head at its outer end and a stem extending therefrom, said stem having a transverse horizontal passage therethrough, said bolt being adapted to be installed in a horizontal cylindrical opening bored between the sides of said door at a free edge thereof, ahousing adapted to be secured at each side of the door, a plate at the inner side of each housing adapted to be located against a side of the door, each of'said plates having a horizontal slot therein, a pin extending through each of said slots and at its inner end extending into the transverse passage through said bolt stem a distance approximating one-half the length of said passage, a member to which each of said pins is connectedat its outer end slidably mounted at its outer side to each of said plates, a knob adapted to be rocked about a horizontal axis in either direction mounted at the outer side of each of said housings, and a member secured to the inner end portion of each knob within its associated housing in operative engagement with the first mentioned member for slidably moving it in a direction to retract the latch bolt upon rocking movement imparted to either of said knobs in either direction.

3. A latch comprising a latch bolt having a cylindrical housing open at its outer end, a coiled spring within the housing, a latch bolt having a head adapted to project beyond the open end of the housing and a stem extending through the bottom of said housing, said stem at its inner end portion having a transverse opening therethrough, two identical assemblies each comprising an escutcheon housing, a plate closing the inner side thereof, said plate having a slot therein adapted to parallel the axis of said bolt stem, a fiat metal member located against the outer side of the plate and means for guiding the member in sliding movements over said plate, a pin connected to each of said members extending through the slot in said plate, said pins being adapted to enter said passage through said bolt stem, a knob outside of the housin having a centrally disposed pin at its inner end passing through said housing and rockable about a horizontal axis, a bell crank connected to the inner end of the last mentioned pin, additional pins one at the outer end of each arm of the bell crank, said slidable member having oppositely extending arms against an edge of each of which arms one of the last mentioned pins bears, whereby when said assemblies are connected to opposite sides of a door and the latch bolt is mounted on the door between the opposite sides thereof, the bolt may be retracted in rocking either knob in either direction.

4. A spring actuated latch bolt adapted to be mounted at a free vertical edge of a door having a head normally projecting beyond said free edge, said bolt being mounted for inward retraction, identical means adapted to be mounted one at each side of the door including a plate having a longitudinal slot therein adapted to be located in parallelism to the direction of movement of the latch bolt, said latch bolt having a transverse opening therethrough at its inner end portion, inwardly extending pins mounted one on each plate for slidable movement lengthwise of its slot, said pins at their inner ends entering the transverse opening through the latch bolt from opposite sides thereof, and manually operable means associated and operatively connected with each of said pins for selectively moving either of said pins lengthwise of the slot through which it passes to retract the latch bolt. 5. A latch construction including a housing adapted to be inserted inwardly at the vertical edge of a door, a coiled spring within said housing, a latch bolt having a head normally projecting beyond the open end of the housing and a stem connected to said head passing through said spring and the bottom of the housing, said stem at its inner end portion having a transverse opening therein, an operating pin having a free end portion extending partly into said opening, means for mounting said pin having longitudinal movement paralleling the axis of said bolt stem, said movement being in a direction to retract the bolt head and compress said spring, and manually rockable means connected with said pin for moving the same to retract the latch bolt on rocking said means in either direction of rocking movement.

HORACE E. FROST. 

